Frienze's The Book Chapter 10 - a variation
by DeeDeeHDG
Summary: The Book-Chapter 10 - a variation with permission. Frienze's wonderful story "The Book" Chapter 10 is used with her permission. This is a variation of the ending scene of the chapter, with additions to "set the scene". I think you should read her story first, both because its a great story, but also to take this "excerpt" in a better context.


_"The Book" by Frienze is a captivating story about Phryne and Jack that I have read many times, enjoying every moment of their game. I had an image of their interaction at the end of Chapter 10, and Frienze has been incredibly gracious to allow me to publish_ _her_ _chapter with my additions here. Frienze's original is in italics,_ my additions are in standard text. _No changes have been made to her content, only additions to "set the scene"._

 _..._

 _Phryne shrugged. "Could've been worse, could you imagine if it was Mrs. McNaster?"_

 _"Or your aunt." Jack commented. Both giggled a little at the thought. Until another creak in the hallway broke their reverie._

 _"Phryne!" A voice called out._

 _"Oh god! Speak of the devil. It's Aunt P." Phryne muttered, "Quick, hide!" She said chasing Jack round to lie on the floor behind her bed mere seconds before Aunt P entered the room. Phryne desperately hiding the book behind her back._

 _"Phryne! What on earth are you doing?" Aunt P said walking into the room. "It's past four in the morning, there was such a ruckus in here I could've sworn I heard laughter." She said "I hope you aren't entertaining one of your…male guests while you yourself are a guest at dear Tilly's house."_

 _"Oh no Aunt P." Phryne insisted stepping forward as Aunt P looked around suspiciously. "I've been solving a murder; I haven't had time for wooing." She stated simply._

 _"Not even your Inspector?"_

 _Jack from his position behind the bed felt all of the colour drain from his face._

 _"I don't know what gave you that idea aunt P." Phryne said, possibly a little too quickly. "and besides his not…he's not_ _my_ _inspector." She added._

 _"Hmmm." Prudence merely hummed. She stopped suddenly. "Phryne…why on gods earth are you wet. And dressed!"_

 _Phryne looked speechless for once. "I uh…" She thought desperately of a way to not reveal that she had been with the inspector. "I couldn't sleep…so I went down to the waterfront and I was walking along the sand...dipping my toes in the water, you know Aunt P. Anyway there was a ditch, what with is being dark I couldn't see and I…I fell in."_

 _"You fell in."_

 _"Yes that's right." Phryne affirmed. "But my walking did quite tire me out so I'm going to go to bed now." She said faking a yawn. "Sorry to wake you Aunt Prudence."_

 _Prudence grimaced a bit. "It's quite alright Phryne," she said, not particularly believably. "Now get some sleep." She said before leaving and closing the door behind her._

 _Phryne released a breath she didn't realise she had been holding. She turned and crawled across the bed, peering over the side where Jack was laying on his back on the floor._ Laying her cheek on one hand, _She looked_ down _at him and grinned._

 _"That was close." She said_ , her am slipping down over the side of the bed to lightly lay her fingers on his shirtfront.

 _Jack nodded and exhaled heavily_ , more bothered by her fingers toying with his shirt buttons that he cared to acknowledge. _"Um…Miss Fisher," He began trying to work up some confidence, "does everyone in your life think of me as_ _your_ _inspector?"_

 _Phryne bit her lip "only the ones who think we're sleeping together." She admitted a little sheepishly. Though only a little sheepishly, because Phryne Fisher was never really embarrassed._

 _"And how many people would that be?" Jack asked, feeling once again vulnerable as he lay there sprawled out under her gaze, though he couldn't bring himself to move._ Her questing touch seemed to center on the button directly over his heart, drawing seemingly lazy circles around it that felt as if she were writing with fire.

 _"Um…virtually everyone."_ Phryne's eyes remained lowered, also focusing their touch on the center of his chest.

 _"Right." He paused and contemplated this revelation, unsure if he was mortified or utterly delighted. "It's a good thing you're so good at making up excuses then isn't." He said a little smugly recalling how Phryne had floundered for an alibi for her dripping clothing._

 _Jack raised himself up till he was reclining on his elbows,_ his movement flattening her hand against his chest and raising her eyes to lock with his. _"Forgive me Miss Fisher but what was that you said earlier tonight…something about "not caring anyway" what your household thought of your dalliances." He said a smug grin tugging at his lips._

 _Phryne raised an eyebrow at him and did her best to look unimpressed_. His heart beating strongly against her palm was creating an answering pounding in her own chest, mirroring its quickening as their eyes remained locked in a lingering, visual caress.

 _"Well I don't care, usually, but there are some occasions where it is just easier to lie. And besides, I wouldn't want to besmirch your shining reputation now would I?"_

 _"Wouldn't you?" Jack asked_

 _Phryne gazed at him. "Well" she drawled. "It would depend on how I was besmirching it." She said with an almost predatory smile_ , allowing her eyes to break contact with his to wander down his form laid out so completely before her.

 _Jack swallowed hard and quickly stood up. They were heading to dangerous territory (Well truthfully they had crossed into dangerous territory the moment they plunged into the water together, but even Jack had his limits.)_

 _"I should be going, it's late."_

 _"It's early" Phryne stated,_ rolling over on the bed to lean back on her elbows as he had been.

 _"I'll see you soon Miss Fisher." He said moving towards the door. "Probably…four hours from now in fact."_

 _"Hardly seems worth leaving." She proposed staring at him sincerely._

 _Jack looked at her solemnly for a moment, his mouth slightly agape_ at the inviting picture she presented stretched out on the bed, his eyes darkened and glittered with desire, as he pulled himself together to quickly murmur _"Well, if I don't get a good night's rest I won't be able to think to solve our murder mystery. And I hardly feel I could sleep whilst in the presence of such engaging company." He said, trying his hardest not to make it sound like an innuendo. He failed._

 _"Until five hours then Jack." Phryne said with a small smile,_ archly tilting her head to one side and returning her eyes to his after scorching their way up his torso . _"Or until I return this." She said with a grin holding up the book._

 _"I look forward to it."_

 _"Goodnight Jack."_

 _"Goodnight Miss Fisher." He said closing the door behind him as he left._

 _His skin still tingled from the anticipation of what might've been, even as the door closed with a comforting click. Jack leant against a wall and took a few deep breaths. He found himself suddenly feeling in great need of another dip, preferably in cold water._

 _..._

 _Frienze - Thank you for letting me publish this variation of your story! DeeDee_


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